Cops: N.H. skydiving instructor took his own life during jump

A skydiver unattached his harness and plummeted to his death in a suicidal act, concluded cops. (iStockphoto)

It was a leap of faith into the great beyond — and now he’s at peace.

Longtime New Hampshire skydiving instructor Brett Bickford separated from a student during a tandem jump Sept. 27 and plummeted a mile straight down to his death, Maine State Police have concluded.

Advertisement

While the student was able to parachute safely back to Earth, Bickford’s body wasn’t discovered until the next day near a runway at Lebanon Municipal Airport in New Hampshire.

For two months, investigators have analyzed the case and come to the conclusion that there’s no viable reason to believe Bickford’s death was an accident, reported The Evening Express.

Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Steve McCausland said the conclusion was that Bickford, 41, loosened his harness deliberately in midair. Police based their findings on interviews with skydiving officials and other instructors who all concurred no experienced skydiver would loosen a parachute harness by accident.

Another interviewee, Nancy Koreen, the director of sport promotion for the U.S. Parachute Association, mentioned her staff told her Bickford loosened his straps after the tandem parachute opened.

“In this case, if his death was in fact a suicide, it appears he intentionally detached himself from the equipment,” said Koreen.

Bickford’s obituary revealed he had pilot’s and drone licenses and was designing and building drones.

“Brett was one amazing smart young man,” read the obituary. “Those who knew Brett know he had a free spirit of life to live one day at a time. Brett’s smile and laughter live on in all who knew him.”